News: McDonald's Fall 2013 Featured Menu

McDonald's offers their own version of a Pumpkin Spice Latte this fall as well as a Pumpkin Pie and a new Pralines & Cream McFlurry.

The Pumpkin Spice Latte is definitely on the national menu while the Pumpkin Pie and Pralines & Cream McFlurry may only be available in select markets.

News: Starbucks Featured Fall 2013 Menu

Starbucks' 2013 Fall Menu features a trio of beverages and a trio of baked goods.

The beverages are anchored by the ever-so-popular Pumpkin Spice Latte and joined by the Salted Caramel Mocha and new Chocolate Chai Tea Latte.

Review: Del Taco - CrunchTada Tostada

Del Taco's CrunchTada Tostada features a thick, wavy corn tostada shell topped with slow-cooked beans, taco sauce, shredded lettuce, and freshly-grated cheddar cheese.

It's a value menu item with a $1 price tag, but I received this one courtesy of Del Taco.

News: Carl's Jr. Tests Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwich

Carl's Jr. is looking to branch out beyond Oreos, Pop-Tarts and chocolate chip cookies for their ice cream sandwiches with the test of a new Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwich.

The ice cream sandwich features two snickerdoodle cookies sandwiching a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - Fall 2013 Featured Pumpkin Menu

Like many a chain this fall, Dunkin' Donuts features a seasonal line up of pumpkin beverages and bakery items. New this year are a Pumpkin Pie Donut and Frozen Pumpkin Coffee Coolatta. Dunkin' is also returning a full menu of pumpkin coffees, lattes, donuts, muffins, and more.

Review: McDonald's - Mighty Wings

McDonald's Mighty Wings are a new, limited-time offer of bone-in chicken wing pieces with a "bold [and] spicy" breading.

A 3-piece order was $2.99.

News: Burger King - $4.99 Buffalo Chicken Strips Combo Meal

Burger King's latest deal pushes their Buffalo Chicken Strips by offering them in a combo with small fries and a drink for $4.99.

News: Carl's Jr. - New Buffalo Blue Cheese Crisscut Fries

Carl's Jr. expands the Buffalo and blue cheese theme of their latest burger to their Crisscut Fries with new, limited-time Buffalo Blue Cheese Crisscut Fries.

The dish features Carl's Jr.'s seasoned Crisscut (or waffle-cut to some) Fries topped with blue cheese crumbles, ranch dressing and Frank's RedHot Buffalo Sauce. The topped fries figure to be around for as long as the new Buffalo Blue Cheese Burger since they share a few key ingredients.

News: Dunkin' Donuts - New Angus Steak Big N' Toasted Breakfast Sandwich

Dunkin' Donuts combines Angus steak with their Big N' Toasted Breakfast Sandwich for the new, limited-time Angus Steak Big N' Toasted Breakfast Sandwich.

Meant for heartier appetities, the Angus Steak Big N' Toasted features two eggs, Angus steak, and a slice of American cheese between two thick slices of Texas toast.

The original Big N' Toasted breakfast sandwich was first introduced in 2011, while Angus steak made its first appearance on the Dunkin' menu in 2012.

News: Popeyes - $2.99 Two Pieces and Biscuit Deal for September

I'm a little late on this one: Popeyes is offering two pieces of fried chicken (leg and thigh or breast and wing) and a biscuit for $2.99.

The deal is good for the entire month of September, which happens to be National Chicken Month (they're calling it "Love that Chicken! Month").

Review: KFC - Colonel's Original Sandwich

KFC's Colonel's Original Sandwich features a piece of Original Recipe Boneless chicken with Colonel's sauce on a sweet Hawaiian Bread bun.

I picked one up for $2.99.

News: McDonald's - New Mighty Wings

McDonald's is offering new Mighty Wings for a limited-time. The bone-in chicken wings feature a "bold, spicy breading."

The new wings come just in time for the start of football season. They come in orders of 3 pieces, 5 pieces, and 10 pieces with prices starting at $2.99 for 3 pieces and up to $8.99 for 10 pieces..

Similar to Chicken McNuggets, you can choose from the same selection of sauces for dipping.

News: Del Taco - New CrunchTada Tostada and Pizzas

Del Taco has revamped their tostadas to come up with the new CrunchTada Tostada and expands the selection with new CrunchTada Pizzas.

The main feature of the CrunchTada line that gives its namesake crunch is a thick, fried corn shell.

Around the World: KFC Philippines - New Cheezy Bacon Fest

If there was ever an international promotion that belongs here in the US, it's the Cheezy Bacon Fest currently on offer at KFC Philippines.

The festival is basically the option to put bacon and cheese on most of the KFC menu including the Pasta Bowl (chicken on top of spaghetti), Rice Bowl, Twister, Chik'n Fillet (basically a KFC Snacker), Zinger (extra crispy chicken sandwich), Bucket of Fries (mmm... bucket), and Mashed Potatoes.

News: The Coffee Bean - Buy One, Get One Free Fall Event

The Coffee Bean is in the midst of a "Buy One, Get One Free" deal where you can buy either a Latte or Ice Blended drink in Pumpkin or Chocolate Hazelnut flavors and get another one of equal or lesser value for free.

The deal is only good through this Friday, September 13 during the hours of 2 pm to 6 pm at participating Coffee Bean locations.

Review: Arby's - Onion Mighty Minis

Arby's Onion Mighty Minis are new to their Snack 'N Save value menu and feature housemade crispy onions, au jus spread, and their signature thin-sliced roast beef on connected slider buns.

I picked up a pair for $2.69 (there's also a plain version with just roast beef on the slider buns for the same price).

News: Rita's Italian Ice - New Pumpkin Cheesecake Cream Ice

Rita's Italian Ice offers new, limited-time Pumpkin Cheesecake Cream Ice. 

The flavor is described as exhibiting the "smooth and velvety texture that only cheesecake has, while at the same time, having the subtle flavor of pumpkin and its complementary spices."

News: Wingstop introduces new Mango Habanero Wings

Wingstop goes spicy to welcome in the wing-centric football season with new, limited-time Mango Habanero Wings.

The sauce features a blend of sweet and heat, and is an available option for classic or boneless wings (i.e. chicken breast pieces). The wings are made to order and tossed in sauce.

Wingstop normally offers 10 regular menu sauces in addition to the new, limited-time flavor.

News: Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes - Kids Eat Free Mondays

Since school is back in session, Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes is offering a "Kids Eat Free" deal good for every Monday in September.

Under the offer, you can receive one free kid's meal for children ages 12 and under with each purchase of a full-priced adult meal on Mondays in September.

The deal does not require a beverage purchase or a coupon and is good at all Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes locations in the US (excluding Express).

Review: Muller - Corner Yogurt: Choco Balls and Granola

Muller's Corner yogurt features lowfat yogurt with various toppings in a separate "corner" so that you can either flip the toppings onto the yogurt or dip the yogurt in the toppings however you like.

I recently tried the Choco Balls and Crunchy Granola flavors which came in 5.3-ounce container at 99 cents a piece on sale.

News: Outback - Unlimited Shrimp Deal

Outback Steakhouse offers all-you-can-eat shrimp with a limited-time $14.99 Steak and Unlimited Shrimp deal.

News: Nabisco - New Rice Thins

For those following a gluten-free diet, Nabisco now offers new Rice Thins snack crackers. They're made with rice for a baked crispy snack and have actually been available in Canada for some time.

According to the company, 30 percent of Americans are either thinking about adopting or have already adopted a gluten-free diet, and Rice Thins were developed to address that demand.

Rice Thins are currently available in three flavors: White Rice Original, Brown Rice Sea Salt & Pepper, and Brown Rice White Cheddar.

Review: Dannon - Vanilla Activia Greek Yogurt

Dannon Vanilla Activia nonfat Greek yogurt is vanilla-flavored Greek yogurt with Dannon's exclusive probiotic culture Bifidus Regularis, which helps "regulate the digestive system when consumed daily for two weeks."

A pack of four 5.3-oz cups was $3.99 on sale.

News: Jones Soda - Halloween Flavors Return

Halloween-themed soda flavors are back from Jones Soda and available in 8-oz cans at Target stores nationwide. You can also find the cans at Cost Plus World Market, Hastings Entertainment, and Schnucks.

News: 7-Eleven - New Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll

7-Eleven now offers their first warm bakery option in the new Pillsbury Cinnamon Roll at participating 7-Eleven stores.

The rolls offer a "sweetly spiced" flavor and carry a suggested retail price of $1.69. They're baked daily at local bakeries and delivered overnight to 7-Eleven stores.

Frozen Friday: Banquet - Cheeseburger Stuffed Breadsticks

Banquet's Cheeseburger Stuffed Breadsticks meal is a new addition to the budget-minded line of frozen dinners. Each comes with two breadsticks stuffed with hamburger and cheese with sauce and a side of fries.

I bought a 4.9-ounce box for 88 cents.

News: BK Delivers Expands to Minnesota and Washington

Burger King's BK Delivers program is once again expanding. It's now available in Minneapolis, Minnesota and Spokane, Washington as the program gradually expands its reach (it's also currently available in Boston, New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago, the San Francisco Bay area, Las Vegas, Sacramento, greater Washington, D.C., Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Denver).

News: Papa John's - Free Pizza with $15 Purchase

Papa John's is once again looking to spur online sales and loyalty program usage by offering a free pizza on a future order with any online order totaling $15 or more.

Review: Burger King - French Fry Burger

Burger King's French Fry Burger is their latest value menu addition and features four French fries (mine had five), mayo, ketchup, lettuce, and a beef patty on a sesame seeded bun.

At my local Burger King, the Fry Burger replaced the BK Bacon Burger and carries the same $1 price tag.

News: Krispy Kreme - Fall 2013 Pumpkin Donuts

Krispy Kreme is offering the flavors of cheesecake and pumpkin for this year's fall donuts: the returning Pumpkin Spice Donut and new Pumpkin Cheesecake Donut.

The Pumpkin Spice Donut is an old-fashioned pumpkin spice-flavored cake donut covered in Krispy Kreme's Original Glaze.

News: New Campbell's Soup to be Brewed by Coffee Machine

In an strange bit of a partnership, Campbell's has joined hands with Green Mountain Coffee, maker of the Keurig K-Cup coffee brewer, with a plan to offer new Campbell's Fresh-Brewed Soup K-Cup packs in the near future.

Basically, it's Campbell's Soup brewed with a coffee maker.

Review: Starbucks - Caramelized Apple Cake

Starbucks' Caramelized Apple Cake is part of the new La Boulange bakery line (a bakery chain they bought up last year) that they're in the process of rolling out to their stores. It features a traditional pound cake with caramelized Washington apples (New York apples in some markets) and brown sugar.

I picked one up from a Starbucks location that had just started serving baked goods from La Boulange (complete with pink and white balloons and tableclothes) for $2.45.

News: Dairy Queen - September 2013 Blizzard of the Month

Dairy Queen offers new Choco Covered Cheesecake as their September 2013 Blizzard of the Month.

The flavor features vanilla soft serve with cheesecake pieces, cocoa fudge, and choco chunks mixed in.

Around the World: KFC Japan to Offer Deep-Fried Soup Fritter

In something that sounds right at home at an American county fair, KFC Japan will offer up battered and deep-fried soup starting September 5.

Specifically, they'll be dropping some corn potage in the hot oil and calling it the "Corn Potage Fritter." Corn potage is a thick, creamy corn soup that garners a fair amount of popularity in Japan (you can even get it hot from a can dispensing vending machine), especially in the winter months.

The Corn Potage Fritter is only for a limited-time and is priced at 150 yen apiece (~$1.49 US).

Review: Dairy Queen - Chicken Strip $5 Buck Lunch

Dairy Queen's Chicken Strips $5 Buck Lunch is available daily from the hours of 11am to 4pm and features three chicken tenderloin strips with a choice of dipping sauce, a side of fries, a fountain drink, and a sundae for $5. The sundae can be upgraded to a mini-size Blizzard for an extra $1.

I went for the upgrade and chose ranch for sauce. The price tag came out to $6 plus tax.

Local News: Papa John's - $5 Cheese Pizzas in SoCal on 9/5

September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day (seriously who makes these days up?) and Papa John's locations in Southern California are celebrating by offering large cheese pizzas for only $5 bucks each when ordered online.

You can get the deal by ordering online via the Papa John's website and entering the code: "CHEESE13."

News: Baskin-Robbins - September 2013 Flavor of the Month

Baskin-Robbins offers up German Chocolate Cake ice cream as their flavor of the month for September.

The flavor features Swiss chocolate ice cream with coconut, walnut pieces, milk chocolate brownie pieces, and a caramel ribbon.

Review: Del Taco - Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Taco

Del Taco's Bacon Ranch Grilled Chicken Taco features grilled marinated chicken, ranch sauce, bacon pieces, shredded lettuce, and hand-grated cheddar cheese folded in a soft flour tortilla.

I picked one up for $1.39.

News: Applebee's - New Honey Pepper Grill Menu

Because National Honey Month is September, Applebee's is offering a new Honey Pepper Grill Menu for a limited time. 

The menu features the sweet taste of honey paired with the slight heat of cracked black pepper with new Honey Pepper Sirloin, Honey Pepper Chicken & Shrimp, and 4-Cheese Mac & Cheese with Honey Pepper Chicken Tenders.

News: Papa John's Brings Back Buffalo Chicken Pizza... Again

For the second time this year, Papa John's is offering the Buffalo Chicken Pizza for a limited-time just in time for the start of the NFL football season (a prime time for buffalo wings).

The pizza features ranch sauce, slices of breaded chicken strips, bacon, onions, mozzarella cheese, and a swirl of buffalo sauce.

Review: Arizona Beverages - Lemon-Lime Rickey

A lime rickey is typically a mixture of soda water and lots of lime that is often mixed with liquor. Arizona Beverages' Lemon-Lime Rickey is just an extra-tall can of lemon-lime soda, but not like Sprite and more like Squirt.

A 23.5-oz can is 99 cents wherever you find it (the standard for Arizona Beverage cans).

News: Subway - September 2013 Featured Footlong Sandwich

Subway's September 2013 Featured Footlong is actually their entire selection of regular subs. Like the previous "FebruAny" promotion, "Subtember" runs the entire month of September and offers any regular footlong sub sandwich for $5.

Around the World: McDonald's Canada - New Veggie Wraps

As Canadians look to eat more veggies (at least some of the time), McDonald's Canada has introduced two new meatless McWraps: the Mediterranean Veggie and Santa Fe Veggie.

The company had previously introduced a veggie burger back in 2002, but it didn't stick. But tastes and preferences have changed in the 11 or so odd years in between (well, that and veggie burger patties don't always have the best of flavors).

Review: Muller - Greek Corner Lowfat Yogurt with Caramelized Almonds

Muller's Greek Corner is a line of Greek-style low-fat yogurt with a "corner" of its square cup reserved for a topping. I recently tried the Caramelized Almonds version.

A 5.3-oz cup was $1 on sale.

Around the World: McDonald's Singapore offers new Aloo Tiki Burger

McDonald's Singapore offers their first vegetarian burger with the new, limited-time Aloo Tikki Burger. 

Originating from McDonald's India, the Aloo Tikki features a potato and peas patty with spices coated with breadcrumbs ("aloo tikki" is Indian for "potato croquette"), sweet tomato mayo, onions, and a slice of tomato on a standard McDonald's hamburger bun.

News: Sonic - Half-Off Breakfast Burritos on Sept 3

Apparently there's a National Back to Work Day that follows Labor Day. To celebrate (or maybe commiserate), Sonic will be offering their selection of breakfast burrito for half-off on Tuesday, September 3 i.e. National Back to Work Day.

In their words:

"Work is Boring. SONIC is Fun. Enjoy 1/2-price breakfast burritos all day at SONIC on Tuesday, Sept. 3. A great way to get back to work after the Labor Day weekend."

Frozen Friday: Boston Market - Meatloaf Frozen Dinner

Boston Market's Meatloaf frozen dinner eschews the standard vegetable side and comes with just mashed potatoes and gravy, and a fair bit of it too, considering it weighs in at almost a pound.

A 15-ounce box was $2.50 on sale.

News: Get Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte Early with Code

Starbucks' popular Pumpkin Spice Latte is not officially available until Tuesday, September 3, but you can actually get them right now by uttering the code "PSL10" at your local Starbucks.

The (slightly) early offer comes as the Pumpkin Spice Latte enters its tenth year.

Also available on September 3 are the seasonal Salted Caramel Mocha, Salted Caramel Mocha Frappuccino, and the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.

News: KFC - 6-Piece Deal for $9.99

KFC's latest family meal promotion is the 6-Piece Deal for $9.99. The sales pitch is that you can feed your family for under $10 (well, as long as you have a small family).

The meal includes 6 pieces of chicken (mixed), 1 large side, and 3 biscuits and is available at participating KFC locations. There's an extra charge if you want to substitute in breast pieces or KFC Boneless chicken.

News: Chick-fil-A Gives Out Breakfast by Reservation - September 9 to 14

Participating Chick-fil-A locations will be giving out a limited number (about several thousand per location) of breakfast entrees via reservation for September 9 through September 14.

Reservations can be made on their website at: http://chick-fil-aforbreakfast.com.